GEA : achieves Gold Standard in EcoVadis sustainability ranking

GEA has for the first time achieved the ranking of 'Gold Standard' in the EcoVadis sustainability assessment. This achievement puts the company among the top two percent of all companies in the mechanical engineering sector ranked by EcoVadis worldwide. Since 2016, GEA has had its sustainability management examined annually in ever greater detail by the independent rating agency EcoVadis and has thus succeeded in continually improving its score ever since. In the last assessment, the Group scored 60 points, putting it at 'Silver' level. The 68 points scored overall by the company in the 2021 rating have now raised GEA onto Gold level.

Stefan Klebert, CEO of GEA Group AG, commented on the success: 'GEA is one of the world's major suppliers of machinery and plants to multiple critical industries, notably food and beverage and pharmaceuticals. This makes it all the more important that we manage our supply chain in a responsible manner. Winning Gold in this ranking strengthens our commitment to further expanding our sustainability strategy and activities with all our energy.'

'We will continue to set a leading example in our industry as we move forward,' says Dr. Nadine Sterley, Chief Sustainability Officer at GEA. 'Being environmentally conscious, ethical and acting with integrity underpins our approach to sustainability.'

EcoVadis analyzes the sustainability performance of companies in terms of the environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. GEA's achievement in the current ranking puts the company among the top two percent of all companies in the mechanical engineering sector ranked by EcoVadis. In an industry comparison, GEA performed particularly well in the area of sustainable procurement as well as in its resource-saving production efforts. This accolade will enable the company to tap additional customer groups that source process technology solely from companies able to document their gold-level sustainability performance.

EcoVadis analyzes the sustainability performance of companies in terms of environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. This makes the rating particularly important in the assessment of supply chains. To date, the EcoVadis database counts over 75,000 rated companies in more than 160 countries and 200 industries.

GEA provides further details of its sustainability goals and activities in its recently published sustainability report for fiscal year 2020.